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HENRY C. FREEMAN, OF SOUTH PASS, ILLINOIS. Letters Patent No. 68,620, dated September 10, 1867; antedated August 2T, 1867.

IMPROVEENT EN BOX FOR TRANSPORTING STRAWBEBBIES.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCER-N:

Be it known that HENRY C. FREEMAN, of South Pass, in the county of Union, und State of Illinois, have invented :s new and useful Drawer forcontnining Strawberries and other small fruits while in transit to l market; and do hereby declare that the following is s fuil, eleor, and exact description of the construction und operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a. port of this specification.

i The drawing represents u drawer with subdivisions for containing the fruit. These subdivisions are formed by the string-pieces C attached to the bottom and to one end, and said string-pieces are grooved to admit tbe thin sliding-pieces b b, which ore made to be movable in these grooves. The two side pieces of the drawer cre also grooved on the inner side for admitting the sliding-pieces. At one end of the drawer is u gute, a, attached by hinges und secured by 'n spring-catch, (Z.

The construction of the drawer is by nailing the bottom to the two sides und one end, the grooved stringpieces being also nailed to the bottom nnd the seme end. The gute, or other end of the drawer, is formed by attaching it to the bottom with hinges of any form suitable, or to the sides. In the latter case the bottom would not extend over the sides. This gate is secured close tothe sides of the drawer when closed by s. spring-catch, d. To make the gate complete c. small projection, e, is mede at each end' by fastening a smell strip to the gate. This is for the purpose of giving greater firmness und solidity to the drawer when the goto closed, by preventing. n'y'tande'noy to lateral spreading. l l

The operation is ss follows: Any number of the divisions being filled with fruit, to empty them thegatc is first opened und u slide drawn out next to the first subdivision. This emptied, the next behind it may be emptied by drawing :mother slide, und so on until all are emptied1 The object of the invention is to secure delicate smell fruits, like the strawberry and raspberry, from injury during transportation end in handling in large packages; also, to relieve 'the retailer of the necessity of ire-measuring the fruit when emptying 'tho drawer to divide it among different purchasers, the subdivisions being mede equol in size, :rnd usually of n quart or pint capacity.

In transporting to market, one, two, or more drawers may be sentin one package, but one cover being required for whatever number is sent in thc package. The projecting corners are for securingA the drawer in n. frame when more than one is sent in s package. Y

What I claim as my invention, and desire to vsecure by Letters Potent, is

. .The subdivisions of the drawer, as formed and described in the specification.

. The inode of opening each subdivision by o movable slide, The gate, ns formed and described in the specification ;l slsothe mode of securing it by u springcntch,rl. The'whole in combination, as above described und claimed in its parts.

,incorsi-1 HENRY o. FREEMAN. Witnesses J. A. Fonsiuss, R. F. Cnnls'rrs'n. 

